Continental Circus – The Races and the Places, the People and the Faces

 It took Dutch photographer duo Jan and Hetty Burgers and motorcycle journalist Frank Weeink nearly two years to complete “Continental Circus – The Races and the Places, the People and the Faces”. Their collective effort has made for a unique “Best of” motorcycle racing book which paints a sometimes touching, often revealing and always spectacular picture both on and off track - throughout the early and mid seventies.

 From 1970 until 1976 Jan and Hetty Burgers were part of the so-called Continental Circus that crossed borders and travelled from circuit to circuit. Their pictures were published in magazines all over the world. Jan did not only make excellent action shots, Hetty and he were also fascinated by everyday life in the paddock. Their cameras documented the racing community that shared a passion for racing, but away from the limelight paddock life could be tough and cruel for riders and their families. Jan and Hetty made friends and lost too many along the way.

 When Jan and Hetty left the Continental Circus their pictures were shelved in the attic and it wasn't until two years ago when, after meeting up with motorcycle journalist and TV commentator Frank Weeink, the idea for this book emerged – a book in which they didn't only want to portray the action on track. More than 6,000 photos, many forgotten but rediscovered, made it to the first selection and over 400 of them finally made it into the 192 page book. All time greats like Giacomo Agostini, Phil Read, Jarno Saarinen and Barry Sheene are featured, as are more than 20 crowd favourites like Johnny Cecotto, Kenny Roberts, Jack Findlay, Tom Herron, Dave Simmonds and Teuvo Länsivuori. As they intended, the book also hails the often unseen heroes - the mechanics, the wives and the girlfriends while taking the reader on a tour to iconic tracks like Spa-Francorchamps, the  Nürburgring, Hockenheim, the Salzburgring and Montjuich. On top of that, the book features chapters on crashes, sidecars, Formula 750 racing and legendary bikes from MV Agusta, Yamaha and Suzuki.

This extraordinary mix makes “Continental Circus – The Races and the Places, the People and the Faces” a “must have” for every bike racing fan.

 Priced at 29.90 euros, “Continental Circus – The Races and the Places, the People and the Faces” can be ordered through www.mastixpress.nl